


The Pet Star

by dreamiflame



Category: Star Wars Legends: Thrawn Trilogy - Timothy Zahn
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pet Store, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-18
Updated: 2014-12-18
Packaged: 2018-03-02 00:24:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2793077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamiflame/pseuds/dreamiflame
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A typical day for Mara Jade, pet store associate extraordinaire.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Pet Star

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kultiras](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kultiras/gifts).



> Happy holidays, dear recipient! I hope you enjoy your story!
> 
> Thank you to my lovely beta and head cheerleader for hand holding and story checking.

Mara unlocked the door of The Imperial Pet Store and flipped on the lights, then groaned. Not _again_

Three of the puppies, Luke, a blue eyed white whippet, Leia, his chocolate brown twin, and Han, a tan cocker spaniel, had gotten out again.

This was all Vader's fault. He'd worked last night, and he never shut the cages properly. Mara would swear he was out to get her. Just because since she'd started working at the store a year ago, he hadn't made employee of the month once.

Luke scurried up to her and barked joyously, dropping what remained of the telephone directory out of his mouth. "Yes, you're a clever little monster. Stop trying to destroy my life." Moving quickly, Mara snagged him behind the ears and got him back in his cage, securely locked this time. Luke whined and gave her a sad, intense blue-eyed plea for freedom.

"That won't do any good," Mara told him, and turned to take care of the other puppies.

Leia was just as easy to grab: she and Luke were both just a touch young to be in a pet shop, and therefore not very clever at hiding and evading yet. Han ran Mara around for five minutes before she shook her head and pulled out the treats. After that it was easiest just to tuck Han in Chewie's cage, as he and the large golden Bernese Mountain puppy were fast friends.

Puppies taken care of, Mara turned her attention to the mess and held back a groan. At least they hadn't chewed open all the bags of dry cat food this time. Which may have had a lot to do with Mara rearranging the shelves a month ago to put food above puppy height. She rolled up her sleeves, grabbed a broom and a notepad, and went to sort out Vader's mess again.

Honestly, Mara reflected, tallying up the cost of four tooth marked aquarium decorations, why her boss hadn't fired Vader years ago was incomprehensible. Sure, they'd been friends as younger men, but Vader was shockingly incompetent and just plain bad at customer service. Tall, black haired, and asthmatic, Vader had a tendency to follow the customers around, staring and breathing heavily, until they left without buying anything.

Throwing away the last dustpan full of paper scraps, Mara put a fresh bag in the trash can and tossed the full one in the dumpster outside. Then she locked the back door, gave the shelves a quick once over, fed and watered all the pets, including the medium red octopus, Ackbar, still waiting for his ideal aquarium, and pushed up the metal grate separating the store from the rest of the mall. Already customers were starting to wander down the halls.

Mara went to put the cats in the display case. Her boss favored black cats and white cats, with an orange striped tabby now and then. The result was that he didn't bother to name the kittens, just gave them a serial number. Mara called them all Stormy. At least the kittens behaved themselves, piling up in the big display case and taking a group nap.

Mitt Thrawn stopped by around noon with another supply of exotic fish and lizards, and ran a finger over the counter. "The puppies got out again?"

It used to surprise Mara when Mitt did things like that, but by now she was used to the supplier's odd ways of knowing things. "Yeah. It's like Vader doesn't understand how locks work."

Mitt smirked. "Perhaps the dogs are too smart for him." Mara bit back a smile and signed his invoice, then took her boss's copy. She didn't dislike Mitt, exactly, she just couldn't read him. So she didn't trust him. Mitt took the sheet of paper as though he knew what she was thinking, and with an incline of his head, headed off.

Later, after she'd had a quick lunch one of the girls from the salon across the way had brought her, Mara straightened up from selling a betta fish to a serious young man to find her boss watching her. She bowed her head with a small smile, and waved as the customer left, already telling Wedge (the betta fish) all about how he'd be the best fighter ever.

Wincing, Mara looked up at her boss. "Sorry. I didn't realize he was planning to have fish fights."

Pappy Empire waved a negligent hand. "It is no matter, my young apprentice," he told her. "We cannot change the destiny of the pets once they leave, and betta will fight in the wild."

Mara nodded, watching her boss look around the store. 

"Any trouble of late?" He asked, eyes taking in the pile of cats sleeping in the display case, the fluffy rabbits huddling in their hutch, and Luke and Leia bouncing around their large cage, chasing one another as well as they could manage. No sign remained of the puppies' earlier destruction, but Mara still had her list, along with the UPCs she'd been able to salvage.

Empire's brows drew together in a frown as he read it over, making his wrinkled face even more prune like. "Who worked yesterday?"

"Vader," Mara told him, trying not to sound vindictive. The frown grew even more, then Empire tucked the list away in his pocket. "I'm not sure why you don't fire him."

"I will one day," Empire told her, and patted her shoulder. "You are my right hand, Mara. I don't know how I'd keep this place running without you." Mara felt her face heating up with pleasure. She'd been young when she'd come to apply for a job, but Pappy Empire had given her a chance. And that meant she was going to keep being the best damn employee this pet store had ever seen. "Keep up the good work, my dear," Empire said, and left her to it.

At the end of the day, Mara pulled the grate down and locked out the rest of the mall. She put the kittens back in their cages, cleaned the worst of the litter and cage messes, and fed and watered all the pets again. Making sure all the cages were securely locked, Mara counted the till, logged out of the register, and turned off all the lights. Another profitable day at the pet store. She'd sold nearly a thousand dollars worth of pets and accessories. Vader, the day before, had sold barely a hundred.

Humming, Mara let herself out the back door and locked it securely. All in all, a fine day's work. Content, she headed to her car, and a well deserved rest.


End file.
